Vegetable-slicer.



C. W. OTT.

VEGETABLE SLICER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, I9I4.

l y 3 III l 7m Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

IIIIIIWIIII@N um 'llllllllll CHARLES W. OTT, OF PITTSBURG, KANSAS.

VE GETABLE-SLICER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented am. Vat, rois.

Application led May 22, 1914. Serial No. 840,244.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES W. OTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Crawford and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Vegetable- Slicers, of which the following is a specification.

lThis invention relates to vegetable cutters and has for its object to produce a device susceptible of cutting a vegetable into slices and of adjustment to cut slices of different thicknesses, and adapted for use with splitting attachments for cooperating with the slicing means in cutting a vegetable, such as a. potato, in strips of different thicknesses, such as French fried and Shoestring potatoes, or a cabbage into slaw, elliciently and rapidly.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had 'to' the accompanying drawing, in which :d i

Figure 1, is a top plan view of a vegetable cutter embodying my invention, the cutter being arranged for producing French fried potatoes. Fig. 2, is a vertical section on the line lI-H of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a vertical section on the dotted line Ill of Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is a sectional perspective view showing the cutter Varranged for producing Shoestring potatoes. Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of a gage forming a feature of the invention. Fig. 6, is a fra gmentary perspective view of a fingered plate forming a part of the invention.

1n the said drawing, 1 is a U-shaped bracket provided with a clamping screw 2 and adapted to fit over the edge of a table 3 and be clamped thereon by said screw 2. rlhe upper arm of the bracket is provided with a step-shaped standard comprising vertical portion 4, horizontal portion 5 and vertical portion 6 and the latter terminates in a segment shaped head 7 provided concentrically of its curved edge or periphery with a pivotal notch 8.

9 is a horizontal plate supportupon and secured to portion 5 of the step-shaped standard, and said support is provided with a depending marginal stifening flange 10, and is provided at its opposite margin with a series of notches 11. The plate support 1s also provided with a pair of facing supporting ears 12 stamped out of the body of the plate by preference, and pivoted to the flange 10 is a catch 14 for a purpose which hereinafter appears.

A preferably sheet metal bracket consists of the body portion 15, provided at one end with arvertical and substantially right angle shapedarm 16, the vertical portion of said arm being disposed at the front side of the body portion 15, and provided with a downwardly facing shoulder 17, and the horizontal arm extending rearwardly in a plane below that of the body portion. At the opposite end of the body portion is formed a substantially horizontal rearwardly projecting arm 18, and projecting upwardly from that end of the body portion from which arm 18 projects, is an arm 19, to which is secured a handle 20. The body portion is provided with a curved guiding ear 21 and with a headed pivot 22, the former to receive the curved edge orV periphery of the segmental. head 7, hereinbefore mentioned, and the notch to pivotally receive the pivot 22 with the head 7 thereof flanging over to coperate with the guiding ear 21 in holding the bracket 15 and head 7 flatly together, as shown.

A slicing blade 21a is fitted flatly against the rear side of the body portion 15 and has its cutting edge 22a off-set to underlie said body portion 15, and to secure the slicing blade reliably in position, it is provided with a plurality of obliquely-extending slots 23 and securing screws 24 extend into the said body portion 15 of the said pivoted bracket. The slots permit of a certain amount of adjustment of the blade and are preferably set on a slant in order that the strain incident to the slicing operations shall be imposed on the undersides of the slots, to guard against accidental slippage or creepage of the blade.

25 is a gage paralleling the slicing blade but set below andV rearward of the same. This gage is provided at its outer end with a rearwardly projecting ear 26, to fit flatly against the horizontal portion of the arm 16, and is provided with a slot 27 to permit of the bodily adjustment of the gage toward and from the vertical plane of the slicing blade. At its opposite or inner end the gage is provided with a rearwardly projecting ear 28, provided with a slot" 29 to underlie and lit iatly against the arm 18, projecting from the body portion of the pivoted slicer-blade-carrying bracket. A screw bolt the gage is adjusted forward its full distance, @the cutter will produce thin potato chips and when adjusted rearwardly its full distance, will produce French fried potatoes, `provided Vitis equipped with a splitting attachment, hereinafter mentioned. As a guiileffor the adjustment of the gage inthe pro notion ofk shoestring potatoes, the 'upper edges .of the lower .portion .of arm '16' ear 26 andthe inner edges of arms 18j and 28., arev provided with indicating notches 314, the notches on the arm 16 and ear26, appearing in alinement in Fig. 4. In -Fig, 1,1theqsa1ne notches 34 are shown out of aliir'ienient 3 only, shows the notches v34 y,on 'the arm 18, and said figure also shows the'ear f2.8 `provided with a corresponding notch 34. When these notches all register, that is Voccupy the vsarne vertical plane, the gage is adjusted, as above suggested, to produce ""f Shoestring, y potatoes.

,36 is aI pin projecting forwardly from the Y rear end of the gage and pivoted to the latter about midway its length and at its rear side is a, turnbutton 37. 38 is a split -v ting plate adapted to fit flatly vagainst the front side of the gage and provided with a hole 39Y to receive the pin 36 Vof the gage. Plate '38 is'also provided with an upturned lower edge 4.0 to V,receive the lower edge of the gage and with a rearwardlyprojecting flange 4'1 to `lit upon the upper edge of the gage, `said flange having an elongated openingj42 into which the turn kbutton 37 can be turned to securely fasten the splitting plate toy thegage'.k Ordinarily there will be at` least twowof fthesersplitting plates, one provided with forwardly projecting splitting blades v43, spaced properly with respect to'pivot 22, to Vslit slices of potato into French fried strips and the other with more closely arranged shorter splitting bladesv44ffor cutting thinnerl slices of potato in to "shoestring"jstrips, the blades 44 being'so positioned lthat they will pass through notches 1:1 in .the pivotaloperation of the body kportion .115'V provided the gage is ad-` justed forwardly its full distance.v

French fried potatoes are to be produced fthe gage, as -hereinbefore stated, isadjiisted"rearwardly its full vdistance and nec ssitates or rendersradvisable the use. of a fs p'port'for that `portion of therpotato oca. .tagging verdeel Flare between the blade 21 and the gage. To provide a support at this point, I provide a plate 45 at the underside of the plate support 9 and upheld by the supporting ears 12, and to guard against slippage of the plate 45 it is provided with an opening 45CL for the reception of an npturned end of the pivoted catch 14, as shown in Fig. 3. It is desirable that this plate 45 shall be as thin as possible and this being true, it is preferably formed with a depression 45b to stifen it. The plate is provided with rearwardly projecting lingers 46 into which the depressions 45b extend, as shown in Fig. l, and at their rear ends the lingers terminate in supstanding lugs 47 to arrest a vegetable at the proper point when the same is slid under the slicing blade when the latter' is raised,`preliminary to cutting a slice from the vegetable.

Assuming that it is desired to cut French fried potatoes, the parts will be arranged as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. The operator will then grasp handle 2O and raise the pivoted bracket 15 and the parts carriedthereby to a suiicient height to permit a potato to be placed upon plate support 9 and against the upstanding lugs 47 or the plate 38. The slicing blade is then brought down by pressure on the handle and by such action a slice is cut from vthe potato and at the same time this slice is subdivided into strips by the splitting blades 43. As the blade is lifted, the strips of potato fall from the fingers and the potato is shoved forward until either the lugs 47 or the plate 38 again limits such movement and then the slicing blade is brought down and a second slice is cut from the potato, and such slice is divided into strips by the blades 43, these operations being repeated until the requisite number of French fried strips have been produced.

In the event that it is desired to produce Shoestring potatoes, the plate 38, provided with blades 43, is removed and is replaced by a plate 38 provided with blades 44. The gage is then attached' forward the requisite distance, it being understood, of course, that the finger support 45 is first removed as the same is not adapted for use when Shoestring potatoes are to be made. To make the Shoestring potatoes, the manipulation of the slicing blade, above described, is repeated, it being obvious that in this case the slices produced are of substantially the same thickness as the distance between notches 11.

If it is desired to produce slaw it can be accomplished with the parts arranged for producing Shoestring potatoes. If it is desired to produce potato chips, the gage plate is disposed as far forward as its slots 27 and 29 will permit and neither of the plates 38 will be employed. Y

`From .the above .description .it will be un parent that I have produced a vegetable cutter embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable and vwhich is susceptible of minor particulars without departing from the Vspirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim i 1. A vegetable cutter, comprising a supporting plate, a slicing blade to operate along the edge of said plate, a gage movable with the-blade and extending parallel thereto, and a plate detachably mounted on the gage and provided with splitting blades projecting toward the vertical plane of the slicing blade.

2. A vegetable cutter, comprising a supporting plate, a slicing -blade to operate along the edge of said plate, a gage movable with the blade and extending parallel thereto, a plate fitting flatly against the gage and provided with forwardly projecting splitting blades and also provided with rearwardly projecting flanges engaging the upper and lower edges of the gage, and means mounted on the gage for preventing accidental disengagement of the said plate therefrom.

3. A vegetable cutter, comprising a supporting plate having notches in its rear edge, a slicing blade to operate in a vertical plane adjacent to the notched edge of said plate, a gage parallel with and occupying planes below and rearward ofthe slicing blade, and splitting blades movable with and projecting forwardly `from the gage and bearing such relation to notches of said supporting plate as to be capable of swinging therethrough as the slicing blade is operated.

4l. In a vegetable cutter, a supporting plate, a swinging slicing blade to operate upon an article resting upon said plate, a gage movable with the blade and arranged parallel thereto and in planes rearward and below the latter, and a plate detachably se- `cured to the supporting plate and underlying said slicing blade and provided with rearwardly projecting fingers spaced apart to permit the slicing blades to operate between them.

5. In a vegetable cutter, a supporting plate, a swinging slicing blade to operate upon an article resting upon said plate, a gage movable with the blade and arranged parallel thereto and in planes rearward of and below the latter, a plate secured flatly t0 the gage, provided with forwardly-projecting splittingblades, and a plate detachably secured to the supporting plate and underlying said slicing blade and provided with rearwardly projecting fingers spaced apart to permit the splitting blades to operate between them, and provided at their rear ends with upwardly projecting arms.

6. In a vegetable cutter, a supporting plate provided at its under side with supat the opposite end of said frame, one part of the angle arm standing upright forward of the plane of the frame and the other part extending rearwardly, a gage arranged between said arms and adjustably secured at its opposite ends to the first-named arm and to the rear end of the right angle shaped arm, and a slicing blade secured to said frame and adapted to operate adjacent the rear edge of said supporting plate.

8. In a vegetable cutter, the combination of a supporting plate, a standard in fixed vrelation thereto, a frameV pivoted to the standard, a substantially horizontal arm projecting rearwardly from said frame at its pivoted end, a right angle shaped arm at the opposite end of said frame, one part of the angle arm standing upright forward of the plane of the frame and provided with a downwardly disposed shoulder to limit downward movement of the frame by engaging the said supporting plate, and the other part extending rearwardly, a gage arranged between said arms and adjustably secured at its opposite ends to the firstnamed arm and to the rear end of the right angle shaped arm, and a slicing blade secured to said frame and adapted to operate adjacent the rear edge of said supporting late. p 9. In a vegetable cutter, a plate provided at one of its longitudinal margins with an upturned hook and at its other longitudinal margin with a flange provided with an opening, and also provided with a gage opening, and with a plurality of splitting blades extending at decided angles to its longitudinal edges, and arranged for cutting in parallel planes disposed at substantially equal distances apart.

l0. In a vegetable cutter, a slicing blade carrying frame'provided at one end with a horizontally arranged rearwardly projecting arm and at its other end with a vertically arranged rearwardly projecting arm, a gage plate paralleling said frame and provided at one end with a rearwardly projecting longitudinally slotted horizontal arm fitting against the first-named horizontal arm and at its other end with a rearwardly projecting vertically arranged and longitu- -dinal'ly slotted arm itting against the Vel-'- `tie'ally disposed armof said trama-clamping Y bolts extending through said slotted arms andsaid adjacent arms, and nuts engaging said bolts to clamp Vadjacent arms reliably together.

11. ln a vegetable cutter, a pivoted gage provided with a forwardly projecting pin a hole to engage said pin, and with rear near one end and a pivot button at its rear side, and a plate fittingy againstl the front side of said gage and provided with forwardly projecting splitting blades and with Wardily projecting li'anges to engage the nppery and lower edges of the gage, one of Copiesrof thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, f Washington, D. C. 

